Could this forward change the Buffalo Sabres' top-six dynamics?

A lot has been written about the Buffalo Sabres' top-six forward group since general manager Kevyn Adams traded JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. The uncertainty may linger into the 2025-26 season since no direct replacement has been found via trade or free agency. At least not yet.

Michael Augello of The Hockey News linked the Sabres to a possible deal for Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha on Thursday. Augello noted it's an idea that may have to wait until the Bruins fall out of playoff contention, and added the most likely request from Boston would be a top prospect, namely Konsta Helenius or Noah Ostlund.

Zacha has put together a productive 10-year NHL career. He's recorded 342 points (125 goals and 217 assists) in 628 games across stints with the Bruins and New Jersey Devils. He's also been a willing defender with 613 hits, 198 blocked shots and seven shorthanded goals.

The 28-year-old Czech Republic native is coming off a down year as Boston shifted toward a rebuild, though. He scored just 14 goals, which was his lowest total since 2019-20, and his 5-on-5 impacts dropped off drastically, as his -5.4 synthetic goals rating from HockeyViz illustrated.

Now the question is whether it's the beginning of a sustained drop off or merely a down year as part of a squad that missed the playoffs by 15 points.

Is Zacha the right fit for the Sabres?

The good news for Buffalo is that it should have all the information it could ever want about the 2015 first-round pick from head coach Lindy Ruff. Zacha played under Ruff for two seasons as a member of the Devils before getting traded to Boston in 2022.

"He's competing harder," Ruff told Neal McHale of Inside Hockey about the forward in 2021. "His skating has really come along. I think he feels good about his game. He realizes there's some areas of his game he wants to improve, he's working on that part of it. We know we're a better team when he's skating and playing. He's got an unbelievable shot."

Zacha would require a sizable financial commitment, though. He's under contract through 2026-27 with a $4.75 million salary-cap hit, which would essentially take up the remainder of the Sabres' $5.2 million in space, per PuckPedia.

The projected acquisition cost also feels too high. Helenius and Ostlund are upper-level prospects for Buffalo and both are trending toward an NHL role within the next year or two. That's too much to give up for a player who may already be entering the downswing of his career.

That's not to say Zacha wouldn't make sense for the Sabres under different terms. If the Bruins fall out of the race and begin looking to dump the forward at a more modest price, perhaps a prospect like Prokhor Poltapov and a mid-round draft pick, that feels more doable.

Zacha, who plays both center and left wing, could give Buffalo another secondary scoring option and would be able to make a quick transition since he already knows Ruff's system.

For now, however, the Sabres are probably better off hoping for a breakout offensive season from Zach Benson or Jiri Kulich rather than betting big on a Zacha bounce-back campaign.